Envirohub stoked with Rotorua engagement of Sustainable Backyards

There was plenty of browsing and bargain hunting happening at the Biz Wear and Frock Swap. Photos / Supplied

The enthusiasm of the community to get behind a programme of enviro events has left a local organisation excited and blown away.

Sustainable Backyards (SBY) is a month-long calendar of events in March hosted throughout the region by Envirohub Bay of Plenty.

The calendar included many free or low-cost Enviro Events supporting sustainable living, conservation and other initiatives.

Just some examples of events held in Rotorua were a crop swap, movie nights, a photo competition, DIY workshops, field trips and an autumn equinox seed swap and potluck.

Sustainable Backyards projects manager Liesel Carnie says the 2021 Sustainable Backyards programme went fantastically.

"With the new format of one event per day, per sub-region we have had high attendance to all events and a strong calendar with high-quality events that achieve better outcomes for the environment."

She says there was good feedback and reaction from the public.

"Everyone always asks for more of these events and where to go to do follow-up workshops, and we get fantastic engagement about what people can do at home to continue the learnings they made at the events."

Liesel says they were blown away with the attendance at the Biz Wear and Frock Swap in Rotorua with Dress for Success BOP.

"We had a huge amount of people attend and collectively diverted a shop's worth of clothes from landfill.

"All surplus clothing was donated to Dress for Success which is a fantastic cause, helping people dress for interviews by supplying them with high-quality second-hand clothing."

She says seeing the community getting behind and being interested in the events feels inspiring, and gives Envirohub a lot of hope.

"It is so exciting to see this programme become so popular, each event engages a different demographic and the event is often their first step in the sustainable journey."

"We just want to say thank you to everyone who has come to our events. We have loved putting this programme on again, and are very grateful to be able to in these Covid times.

"We love meeting everyone and a big thank you to everyone who hosted an event - it has been a fantastic calendar of events."